What is notebooklm-audio?

This Claude skill facilitates the manual generation of professional podcast audio using Google's NotebookLM. It serves as a critical fallback mechanism when automated APIs are unavailable, ensuring continuity in the content production pipeline. By automating the preparation of complex, brand-aligned prompts and verifying the presence of essential research documents—such as briefs, narrative reports, and validated sources—it streamlines the transition from written research to high-quality 'Deep Dive' audio overviews while maintaining strict structural and stylistic integrity.

When should I use notebooklm-audio?

notebooklm-audio is useful in the following scenarios: • Business Continuity: Providing a reliable manual alternative for podcast production when the NotebookLM Enterprise API is down or a paid subscription is unavailable. • Branded Content Creation: Generating two-host 'Deep Dive' audio episodes that strictly adhere to specific brand intros, outros, and stylistic guidelines defined in research templates. • Research Synthesis: Converting complex research directories (containing briefs, reports, and sources) into engaging audio formats for easier consumption or distribution. • Quality Assurance: Using the built-in file checklist to ensure all five required research components are present before initiating the time-intensive audio generation process.

name	notebooklm-audio
description	"LEGACY SKILL - Manual NotebookLM web interface workflow. The primary workflow now uses notebooklm-enterprise-api for automated audio generation. Use this skill only when the API is unavailable."

NotebookLM Audio Generation (Manual Fallback)

Status: Manual fallback - Use when NotebookLM Enterprise API is unavailable.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

NotebookLM Enterprise API is unavailable (no paid subscription)
API automation fails and fallback is needed
User explicitly requests manual workflow

Step 1: Generate the Prompt

CRITICAL: Always use the script. Never fabricate or modify the prompt.

cd ~/src/research/podcast/tools
python notebooklm_prompt.py ../episodes/EPISODE_PATH/ --copy

The script:

Auto-detects episode title and series name from content_plan.md
Verifies all 5 required files exist
Outputs the correct prompt with proper branding
Copies to clipboard with --copy flag (macOS)

Required files (5 total):

episode-directory/
├── research/p1-brief.md      # Research brief
├── research/p3-briefing.md   # Master briefing
├── report.md                 # Narrative synthesis
├── sources.md                # Validated sources
└── content_plan.md           # Episode structure guide

Step 2: Show User the Script Output

Run the script and display its complete output to the user. The output includes:

Episode and series info (auto-detected)
File checklist with status (✓ or ✗ MISSING)
The ready-to-paste prompt
Settings reminder
NotebookLM link

Example output:

============================================================
NOTEBOOKLM MANUAL AUDIO GENERATION
============================================================

Episode: Strategic Selection
Series: Algorithms for Life
Directory: ../episodes/algorithms-for-life/ep2-strategic-selection

📁 Files to Upload (5/5 ready):
  ✓ p1-brief.md
  ✓ report.md
  ✓ p3-briefing.md
  ✓ sources.md
  ✓ content_plan.md

============================================================
📋 NOTEBOOKLM PROMPT (copy-paste ready):
============================================================

Create a two-host podcast episode on: Strategic Selection from our Algorithms for Life series
...

============================================================

⚙️  Settings: Format: Deep Dive | Length: Long

🔗 Open: https://notebooklm.google.com/

✓ Prompt copied to clipboard!

Step 3: User Completes Manual Workflow

Guide user through these steps:

Go to https://notebooklm.google.com/
Create new notebook
Upload all 5 source files (shown in the checklist)
Click "Audio Overview" → "Customize"
Paste the prompt (already on clipboard from --copy)
Settings: Deep Dive format, Long length
Generate and download audio (~10-15 minutes)
Save audio file to episode directory

Step 4: Process Audio

After download, use the podcast-audio-processing skill:

Convert to mp3 if needed
Transcribe with local Whisper
Generate chapter markers
Embed chapters into mp3

Prompt Template Reference

The prompt is defined in podcast/tools/notebooklm_prompt.py (single source of truth).

Key elements:

References content_plan.md for structure, hooks, key terms
Brand intro: "Welcome to Yuda Me Research from our [Series] series by Valor Engels..."
Brand outro: "research dot yuda dot me - that's Y-U-D-A dot M-E"
Style: Define terms, cite specifics, distinguish correlation/causation
Avoids: Undefined jargon, fabricated examples, over-hedging

DO NOT:

Duplicate the template elsewhere
Manually substitute placeholders
Add episode-specific content arcs (content_plan.md handles this)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Script shows missing files	Complete earlier phases first
Can't auto-detect title/series	Use `--title` and `--series` flags
Clipboard copy fails	Manually copy from terminal output
Audio too short	Check all 5 files uploaded, use Long setting

notebooklm-audio

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases